A Streetcar Named Success

Published
4:00 am PST, Wednesday, March 8, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO'S newest streetcar service, the F-Line, should go a long way toward reintroducing locals to the city they inhabit. The line uses vintage streetcars for a trip from the Castro, down to the foot of Market Street and out the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf.

Until now, only the first part of the trip from the Castro down Market Street was available. Now the rumbling, squeaky- wheeled streetcars will push along the waterfront, make a loop through the wharf and swing back.

It's a bargain thrill ride with stops at restaurants, parks and street corners. There is noth ing hurried about the voyage along the water's edge. As the downtown highrises thin out, there's an opportunity to stare along piers toward Alcatraz or the bay's open water. The tracks partly share driving lanes with busy street traffic and palm trees. The line makes a slow pass in front of the city's tiny fishing fleet and crab-pot wharf eateries.

Until now, only gulls and joggers along the Embarcadero got to see all these sights in rapid fashion. Traffic worries chased off would-be visitors, and others who made the trip to the wharf only saw part of the picture. Now the Municipal Railway has tapped into the fun with everyone, both tourists and residents, invited.